


Heartbeat

by charmed_seconds



Series: Pisces and Scorpio [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotionally Hurt Shiro, Established Relationship, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, S7 Expansion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 18:03:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17812817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmed_seconds/pseuds/charmed_seconds
Summary: "The cockpit was lit faintly in a hue of red, the emergency lights being the only thing illuminating the space. In its light, Shiro’s breath caught when he saw a hand hanging over the arm of the chair. He watched in horror as a droplet of blood fell from the index finger, it crashing into a small puddle that had already formed beneath it."Keith was Shiro's heartbeat. He made Shiro feel alive - gave him breath, gave him a reason to breath. When he watched the Black Lion plummet to the Earth, Shiro couldn't help but fear that he lost his heartbeat.





	Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for Bad Things That Happen prompt "CPR"

Shiro thought his heart stopped when he saw the five lions plummet to the Earth’s crust. His eyes never wavered from the purple line that streaked across the sky, fearful that his world was literally falling in front of them. “Find out where they crashed,” Shiro ordered, his eyes never moving as he looked at the thick tower of smoke rising up. 

 

He tried to call out to them, first on their group line then on each of their private lines. He failed to get an answer. Every moment of silence tore at his soul. It was a few moments before his team started to list out the location of the lions.

 

Allura crashed into the ocean. Lance landed close to her on the coast. Pidge and Hunk also were close, landing in a desert. “Have the MFE fighters split up. Two go to Lance, the other two towards Pidge and Hunk.” He ordered, “Radio the Garrison to get a naval unit out to Allura ASAP.” 

 

Veronica nodded and started doing as Shiro ordered, hailing the MFE fighters and telling their location while another called the Garrison. He waited a few moments before taking a deep breath, “Where’s the Black Lion? Where did it crash?” He asked.

 

“We’re triangulating at we speak,” Sam said, his eyes narrowing on the screen before him. 

 

A few more tense moments ticked by before Sam let out a successful yelp. “He’s at the base of a mountain,” Sam said.

“Take us there,” Shiro ordered, petrified at what he was going to see. 

 

* * *

 

 

The mountain was missing a chunk of its side; its jagged wound causing Shiro’s stomach to clench. He ran towards the downed lion, every possibility of what laid inside going through his mind. The jaw was slightly open, just enough for Shiro to squeeze into it. 

 

The cockpit was lit faintly in a hue of red, the emergency lights being the only thing illuminating the space. In its light, Shiro’s breath caught when he saw a hand hanging over the arm of the chair. He watched in horror as a droplet of blood fell from the index finger, it crashing into a small puddle that had already formed beneath it. 

 

He couldn’t help it. He screamed Keith’s name as he ran towards his wounded lover. Keith was crumpled into the seat, his body leaning. His helmet’s visor was shattered - small rivers of blood fell from the tiny puncture sites from the shards of glass that hit Keith’s face. Keith was just a crumpled pile in the pilot seat. Shiro scrambled, pressing his fingers against Keith’s neck, searching for a pulse. 

 

He found one. Light. Thready. Weakening. 

 

Shiro swallowed. He wanted to do nothing but scoop Keith up into his arms and rush him to the Medical Bay but he also didn’t want to further injure him. 

 

“Allura has been found, sir,” was the update in his in-ear comm, “The other three are still being extracted.” 

 

Shiro let out a soft breath, relief calming him slightly before he focused on the man before him. “Atlas, I need a-” He paused, his eyes widening.

 

The pulse beneath his fingertips was gone. 

 

He pressed his fingers against the skin harder, searching for something that wasn’t there. He cursed, tears springing to his eyes and he quickly -- and as gently as he could -- tore Keith’s battered chestpiece off, flinging it to the side. He pressed his ear against the petite man’s chest. 

 

No heartbeat.

Shiro laid Keith down, straddling him as he began compressions on the small chest. He paused momentarily, pulling the helmet off of Keith’s head before forcing air into the unmoving lungs. “Atlas, I need a medical team into the Black Lion ASAP. No pulse.” He barked out as he resumed compressions. 

 

He could feel tears running down his cheeks, dripping off of his chin. He could see them hitting Keith’s face, cutting through the grim as he leaned over and breathed into Keith’s lifeless body. He could hear the medical team making their way into the Black Lion as he finished the third set of compressions. They circled him as he breathed into Keith. “Three sets of compressions.” he gasped out as he got off Keith, giving the team room to work.

 

He watched as the medical team tore open Keith’s bodysuit, exposing a chest that was already starting to bruise. Shiro’s eyes never wavered as the put 2 bright orange pads onto the unmoving chest. He couldn’t help but flinch when they shocked Keith with the defibrillator. It was sound he was never going to forget. He will never forget the sight of Keith’s body tensing, back arching off the ground. 

 

They did it again. 

 

And again.

 

And then a fourth time. 

 

It was on the fourth time that Keith came back. Shiro had to tense his whole body to stay standing. The medical team put a oxygen mask on him and quickly rolled him onto a gurney. He watched as they picked him up in a fluid motion and started to head out of the Black Lion in a hurry. 

 

Shiro let out a shaky breath. Keith might have a heartbeat again but nothing was guaranteeing that it was going to stay. 

 

He could still lose his lover to this war and Shiro felt his heart stop once again. 

 

* * *

 

 

Keith was taken straight to the operating room. Shiro sat in the captain’s chair, trying to focus on the good news about the other four but his mind kept drifting to his lover under the knife as they try to save his life. The other four, while banged up a bit, were in better shape than Keith. The worse one -- Lance -- had a stage 3 concussion but was already showing improvement. He went to see them all as they came in, but they all asked the same question : 

 

“How are the others?”

 

Which then turned into :

 

“How is Keith?”

 

Because Shiro couldn’t bring it within himself to tell his wounded family that one of them -- their leader -- was in life-saving surgery. He knew his silence towards the question spoke loudly but he just couldn’t say anything. His heart broke when he saw Lance deflate slightly when Shiro didn’t say anything. His blue eyes shimmering with tears. “Mierda,” he had sworn, “It’s bad, isn’t it?” 

 

Shiro had just closed his eyes, afraid Lance’s tears would make his fall.

 

It was five hours before the head surgeon got him. He was splattered in blood and looked exhausted.

 

“He made it out alive,” was the answer. 

 

Shiro felt his eyes widen, wanting more answers but afraid to hear them as well. The doctor continued, laying out a list of injuries that Keith had sustained, most of them internal. 

 

“He’s in room 4 sir,” was the final thing before the doctor left the cockpit.

 

A couple seconds later, Shiro was behind him, headed straight for that room. He stood in the threshold for a few moments, taking in the prone form in the bed. The blanket was up to Keith’s chest. He still had an oxygen mask on and Shiro couldn’t help but watch as it fogged up every few seconds. A bandage was wrapped around Keith’s head, a few peeking out from the collar of the gown he was put in. IV’s hung on a pole beside him, a thin, clear tube attached to his left arm. 

 

Slowly, he approached his lover, his throat tightening as everything crashed into him. He practically fell into the chair beside the bed. He reached out with a shaking hand and grasped Keith’s, two of his fingers instantly rested on the inside of Keith’s wrist. Underneath the pads of his fingers, he felt it.  

 

A heartbeat.

 

Shiro crumpled.

 

He pushed his face into the bed, his hand tightening its hold upon Keith. He almost lost this. 

 

He almost lost his heartbeat. 


End file.
